WASHINGTON — Civility or just silly, the push to mix Republicans and Democrats through the audience of President Barack Obama's televised State of the Union address spread across Capitol Hill on Monday, fueled by signals that Americans want to see more cooperation among the nation's leaders.

Hatched last week by Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., the idea caught fire over the weekend after a poll showed a big majority of the public wanting lawmakers of both parties to sit together at the presidential address. A spirited round of private phone calls and e-mails among lawmakers followed, and by Monday at least five dozen House members and senators had announced they had bipartisan dates for the big dance.

The result could be helpful to Obama as he delivers what is effectively the first speech of his re-election campaign. Rather than serving the traditional visual of the president's party popping up on one side of the chamber for dozens of standing ovations, the applause will be more evenly spread, perhaps giving the illusion of wider acceptance.

But many Republicans, too, accept the basic intent of the new seating plan.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., told reporters that he would be more than happy to sit with his Democratic counterpart, Steny Hoyer of Maryland. He suggested that if working more productively together is everyone's goal, "maybe the sitting thing is a first step.

"If nothing else, it shows we are trying," said Rep. Paul Gosar, a freshman Republican from Arizona who will be sitting next to Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. "That's a gesture that the American people really want to see."

It may be fleeting. Good manners for an hour on television carry no guarantees for the political battles that loom over health care and federal spending during the two-year presidential election cycle that effectively kicks off with Obama's speech from the well of the House.

And for some — influential interest groups, for example — the drive to mix it up now, in the raw aftermath of the Tucson shootings that left six dead and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords critically wounded, under the gaze of the victims' friends and family members who will be seated in the gallery, is offensive for its implication.

"The left has been promoting the idea that the tone in politics is one of the reasons why we had this tragedy in Arizona," said Brian Darling, director of government relations for the conservative Heritage Foundation. "This (seating idea) has spun out of that line of reasoning."

In truth, members of Congress are more than civil to each other in private, regardless of party affiliation. They play football and softball together. They travel to exotic locales and war zones in "codels," or congressional delegations. They have similar work lives as elected members of Congress, which for many means spending days or weeks at a time away from home.

So it's not much of a stretch for most to sit elbow-to-elbow with people who are members of the other party. Even so, the sprinkling of Republicans and Democrats across the chamber Tuesday night will be a carefully calibrated affairs, more like prom dates than political marriages.

There were signs that symbolism matters.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday indicated that 72 percent of the public says Democratic and Republican lawmakers should sit together at the State of the Union.

Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University, said a civil evening would distinguish lawmakers from the divisiveness of the past two presidential addresses to Congress.

At this point, Baker said, "anything that contributes to creating the impression that Democrats and Republicans are not mortal enemies is a good thing."

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Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., a co-founder of the House's civility caucus, said the prospect of bipartisan seatmates was the buzz on the trip back to Washington. The congressional women's softball team, she said, might sit together.

"But really, for the average citizen, they don't give a rip where we sit," Capito said in an interview.

Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., a former professional football player, said he may sit with other lawmakers who are fans of the game.

Bipartisan seating arrangements are far more common among collegial senators. Hill denizens joked Monday that the king and queen of the ball might well be Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and John Thune, R-S.D. Odd couple Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., announced earlier that they would be a pair.

The Tucson massacre and the call for civility would be the thematic underpinnings of the evening.

"I think it's tragic that we have to have an event like that to bring us back to reality," said Gosar.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Video: State of the Union a re-election kickoff?

Transcript of: State of the Union a re-election kickoff?

MATT LAUER, co-host:And I'm
Matt Lauer
. And the president has called for less divisive rhetoric and more civility in
Washington
, so I think we're going to see that message put to the test tonight as he addresses members of
Congress
and, of course,
the rest of us
in this nation.

VIEIRA:Yeah, and as we said some
Republicans
and
Democrats
will sit together instead of across the aisle from each other. But will this signal a new tone in
Washington
and will it last? We're going to talk about that.

LAUER:Also ahead, an admission of guilt from that woman accused of kidnapping a baby from a
New York hospital
23 years ago. We'll tell you what she had to say as she faced her victim's family in court.

VIEIRA:Plus, she is back. The mom who opened up in a new book about raising successful children in a very strict and limiting manner. She calls it the Chinese way. The last time she was here she sparked a firestorm with our viewers. This morning, she will respond to her critics and we'll find out what her kids have to say about how they were raised.

LAUER:All right.

MATT LAUER, co-host:Let's begin
this morning with what
President Obama
is expected to say during tonight's
State of the Union address
.
NBC
's White House correspondent
Savannah Guthrie
has details.
Savannah
, good morning.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE reporting:Good morning,
Matt.
The president was up last night still tweaking this speech. He may practice it today, time permitting. The speech will focus on jobs, keeping
America
competitive and will include a reach-out to
Republicans
. Aides here are hoping it will help to cement the president's recent rise in the polls.

Unidentified Man #1:Madam Speaker.

Unidentified Man #2:The president of the
United States
.

GUTHRIE:With the president set to address
Congress
tonight, on Monday his spokesman did his best to avoid giving too much away.

Mr. ROBERT GIBBS (White House Press Secretary):...satisfied with the fact that I am not at noon on Monday going to talk, or give a lot about what the president's going to say at nine on Tuesday.

ERICA:Will there be any specifics on curbing
Social Security
?

Mr. GIBBS:Erica
, I was going to print up a slide that said the president's
State of the Union
is at
9 PM
on Tuesday.

Unidentified Man #3:In terms of cuts, will we hear much about spending cuts?

Mr. GIBBS:I realize the futility in this exercise on both ends.

Offscreen Voice #1:The president...

Offscreen Voice #2:Robert
, what time is the
State of the Union
, please?

GUTHRIE:When the president takes the podium this year it will mark the midpoint of his presidency.

President BARACK OBAMA:Our
union
is strong.

GUTHRIE:In many ways, the beginning of his
2012
re-election campaign. No accident he gave a sneak preview to online campaign supporters.

Pres. OBAMA:We've still got a lot more work to do.

GUTHRIE:And it's an opportunity to reset with voters.

Mr. KEN DUBERSTEIN (Former Reagan White House Chief of Staff):Ten weeks ago he wasn't even going to make the playoffs, and now he's in the
Super Bowl
.

Pres. OBAMA:It feels bad.

GUTHRIE:After getting shellacked by voters in the midterms, the president promised what he called a midcourse correction. Since then, he cut a deal with
Republicans
over taxes, made over his economic team and turned to two business-friendly executives to fill high-profile positions. He also led the nation in mourning over the shootings in
Tucson
. The president's approval rating is now up 8 points from last month at 53 percent, and among all-important independents his approval jumped 11 points since last month. But
White House
aides deny the president's made a political shift for tactical purposes.

GUTHRIE:Has the president moved ideologically to the center?

Mr. GIBBS:The president's still the same president that we've had for more than two years.

GUTHRIE:But things may be different on
Capitol Hill
where
Republicans
on Monday moved forward with their plans to dramatically slash spending.

GUTHRIE:Well, tonight at the
State of the Union
where Congresswoman
Gabrielle Giffords
would have been sitting there will be an empty chair. Some members will wear black and white ribbons to honor the victims of the
Arizona
shooting.
Daniel Hernandez
, the intern who helped to safe
Gabby Giffords
, will be in the first lady's box along with the parents of the little girl,
Christina Green
, who died, and
Gabby Giffords
' trauma surgeon. One other note from here to tell you about,
Matt.Carol Browner
, the head of the
Energy
and
Climate Office
here at the
White House
, is leaving her position; is likely to be eliminated altogether when she leaves. And we could see a rash of personnel changes here at the
White House
perhaps as early as late this week, including perhaps a new press secretary. Back to you.

LAUER:All right,
Savannah Guthrie
at the
White House
this morning.
Savannah
,
thank you very much
.
Valerie Jarrett
is a senior adviser to
President Obama
. Ms.
Jarrett
, nice to see you as always. Thanks for joining us.

President Barack Obama speaks during a town hall meeting with Ohio students, workers, local leaders and small business owners at Ewing Field House on the campus of Lorain County Community College on Jan. 22, 2010 in Elyria, Ohio. President Obama urged Congress to pass a new jobs creation bill. "Folks have seen jobs you thought would last forever disappear. You've seen plants close and businesses shut down," Obama said.
(J.D. Pooley / Getty Images)
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Members of the U.S. Supreme Court listen to President Barack Obama as he delivers his first State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 27, 2010. Obama said that a recent high court ruling would "open the floodgates for special interests" and corporations to exert more influence in political campaigns. Justice Samuel Alito (back row, second from left), breaking decorum, shook his head and mouthed the words, “No, it’s not true.”
(Alex Wong / Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama defends his first year in office at a gathering of House Republicans in Baltimore on Jan. 29, 2010. He gives them a 90-minute, televised platform to air their political grievances and offer suggestions for national policy. Introducing the president, then-House Minority Leader John Boehner hands him a 27-page package of Republican proposals on health care and others issues.
(Charles Dharapak / AP)
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President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Hunter Biden talk during a college basketball game between the Georgetown Hoyas and the Duke Blue Devils on Jan. 30, 2010 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Obama walked in just before the national anthem to big applause from the Georgetown student section, which saw him first. It was Obama’s second college basketball game that season. In November, the first family went to a George Washington-Oregon State game, where the Obamas rooted for the visiting Beavers. Michelle’s brother, Craig Robinson, is the head coach at Oregon State.
(Mitchell Layton / Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama listens as a man asks a question during a town hall meeting Feb. 2, 2010 at Nashua North High School in Nashua, N.H. Obama discussed jobs and the economy while outlining a new small business lending proposal following his State of the Union address in which he made jobs and the economy a top priority.
(Darren Mccollester / Getty Images)
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The Dalai Lama speaks to reporters outside the White House on Feb. 18, 2010, following a meeting with President Barack Obama. While Beijing had demanded that the president scrap the talks, the White House took pains to keep the encounter low-key, barring media coverage of the meeting (releasing only a photo on its official website) and keeping the two out of the Oval Office (they used the lesser-known Map Room instead).
(J. Scott Applewhite / AP)
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President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden listen during their health care reform meeting with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders, Feb. 25, 2010, in the Blair House across the street from the White House in Washington, D.C. The meeting lasted six-and-a-half hours. Obama sat at the head of the conference table, flanked by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and then- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Sen. John McCain and other Republican lawmakers sat to Obama’s left.
(Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP)
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Transportation Security Administration employees demonstrate a new full-body scanner for members of the media at Logan Airport in Boston on March 5, 2010. One hundred and fifty backscatter imaging technology units were purchased by the TSA with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds in the fall of 2009. The attempted terror bombing on Christmas Day persuaded the president to make the purchase.
(Matthew Cavanaugh / EPA)
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An unidentified woman hugs President Barack Obama after he speaks about health care reform at St. Charles High School in St. Charles, Mo., on March 10, 2010.
(Charles Dharapak / AP)
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Then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and members of the House Democratic Caucus march from the Cannon House Office Building to the House Chamber on Capitol Hill, March 21, 2010. The House voted 219 to 212 to pass the health care reform measure, with every Republican voting no. "Today we have the opportunity to complete the great unfinished business of our society and pass health insurance reform for all Americans as a right, not a privilege," said Pelosi. The gavel she carries was used to pass Medicare legislation in 1965.
(Michael Reynolds / EPA)
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Haiti's President Rene Preval, second from left, former President George W. Bush, second from right, and former President and U.N. special envoy for Haiti Bill Clinton, left, arrive at the earthquake-damaged Presidential Palace in Port-au-Prince on March 22, 2010. The former presidents toured Haiti's rubble-filled capital to raise aid and investment for a country reeling from a Jan. 12 earthquake.
Bush told reporters their purpose was to "remind the American people there is still suffering and work to be done here."
(Jorge Saenz / AP)
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President Barack Obama is embraced by Vice President Joe Biden before signing his health care overhaul legislation during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on March 23, 2010. At the end of his introduction of the president, Biden turned to Obama, embraced him and said, “Mr. President, this is a big ... deal," adding an adjective between the "big" and the "deal" that begins with "f." Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, sent out a Twitter post affirming Biden’s sentiment, ".... yes Mr. Vice President, you’re right."
(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama (second from left) greets U.S. troops at a mess hall at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan on March 28, 2010. Obama told the soldiers that there would be "difficult days" ahead in Afghanistan but assured them that the "U.S. does not quit" until the job is done.
(Pete Souza / The White House via EPA)
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President Barack Obama applauds onstage with students and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after signing the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act into law at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, Va., on March 30, 2010. This package of revisions to his new health care overhaul includes a measure aimed at making higher education more affordable.
(Jonathan Ernst / Reuters)
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President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy laugh during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 2010. During his talks at the White House, Sarkozy pressed for strong sanctions against Iran and action on climate change.
(Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama throws out the first pitch at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on opening day, April 5, 2010. He sported a Nationals jacket and cap from his favorite team, the Chicago White Sox. "I was a little disappointed with the pitch," Obama said afterward. "It was high and outside. I was intentionally walking the guy."
(Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images)
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Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at Kabul International Airport on April 11, 2010.
Holbrooke and Central Command Chief Gen. David Petraeus attended a two-day conference reviewing U.S. civilian and military involvement in Afghanistan for the coming year. Holbrooke died in December at the age of 69 after falling ill at the State Department. "Tonight, America has lost one of its fiercest champions and most dedicated public servants," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said after his death.
(Shah Marai / AFP - Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama confers with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak during Plenary Session I of the Nuclear Security Summit at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on April 13, 2010. Obama called on world leaders "not simply to talk, but to act" on securing nuclear materials in remarks prepared for delivery to a summit here.
(Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images)
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Residents attend a rally before the visit of President Barack Obama to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on April 15, 2010. President Obama pledged his full commitment to the space program, outlining a new strategy that ends current programs while funding new initiatives. The new spending would be for research on a propulsion breakthrough to travel deeper into space.
(Carlos Barria / Reuters)
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First Lady Michelle Obama shows off her muscles along with the children at the D.C. River Terrace School at an event to promote physical fitness on April 21, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Her "Let's Move!" initiative involves working with local officials to provide more nutritious food in schools and allow more opportunities for kids to be physically active. Obama said she hopes one of her legacies will be her work in reducing childhood obesity.
(Evan Vucci / AP)
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White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, left, and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel walk to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House April 22, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Both aides recently announced their depature from the White House. Emanuel is running for mayor of Chicago and Gibbs will be consulting for the president. Senior Adviser David Axelrod (not shown), the architect of Obama’s 2008 election, is returning to Chicago before rejoining Obama’s re-election effort.
(Dennis Brack / Pool via Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama walks with Linda Davis, the grandmother of deceased miner Cory Davis, during a memorial for the victims of the Upper Branch Mine explosion at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center in Beckley, W.Va., on April 25, 2010. With 29 dead, it was the country’s worst mine disaster in four decades.
(Steve Helber / AP)
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President Barack Obama listens during a briefing about the situation along the Gulf Coast following the BP oil spill, at the Coast Guard Venice Center, in Venice, La., in this White House handout photo taken on May 2, 2010.
(Pete Souza / The White House via Reuters)
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Then-Solicitor General Elena Kagan looks up at President Barack Obama after he officially nominates her to the U.S. Supreme Court at the White House on May 10, 2010. Vice President Joe Biden looks on. On Aug. 5, 2010, Kagan won full confirmation to the high court with a 63 to 37 vote.
(Michael Reynolds / EPA)
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President Barack Obama walks with (front to back) former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq Gen. David Petraeus, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Vice President Joe Biden in the White House Colonnade before making a statement in the Rose Garden on June 23, 2010. Obama announced that Petraeus will replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal as top NATO commander in Afghanistan.
Obama said bluntly that McChrystal's scornful remarks about administration officials in Rolling Stone magazine represent conduct that "undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system."
(Michael Reynolds / EPA)
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President Barack Obama prepares to pay the bill after he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ate hamburgers during lunch at Ray's Hell Burger on June 24, 2010 in Arlington, Va. Obama and Medvedev dodged the formality of a U.S.-Russia summit, slipping out of the White House to visit the burger joint.
(Dmitry Astakhov / Pool via AFP - Getty Images)
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Left to right, West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton sing the National Anthem during a celebration of the life of Sen. Robert Byrd at the Capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on July 2, 2010. Byrd, a Democratic lawmaker from West Virginia, was the longest-serving senator in U.S. history. Byrd passed away on June 28, 2010.
(Davis Turner / EPA)
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President Barack Obama signs the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act alongside members of Congress, the administration and Vice President Joe Biden at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., on July 21, 2010. The massive bill establishes an independent consumer bureau within the Federal Reserve to protect borrowers against abuses in mortgage, credit card and some other types of lending. The legislation also gives the government new power to seize and shut down large, troubled financial companies.
(Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama appears on the daytime TV talk show "The View" in New York City on July 28, 2010. From left are Barbara Walters, Obama, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. The first part of the interview dealt with jobs, the economy and the war in Afghanistan, while the second half covered lighter topics.
"You name a song, I've got it," Obama said of his iPod. "I've got Jay-Z on there, I got Frank Sinatra on there, Maria Callis ...." But when Behar mentioned Justin Bieber, he responded, "I do not have Justin Bieber on there."
(Kevin Lamarque / Reuters)
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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack hugs Shirley Sherrod during a news conference at the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 24, 2010. Earlier, Sherrod was portrayed as a racist in a selectively excerpted Internet video and was fired from her job overseeing rural development in Georgia. Both the White House and Vilsack later apologized to her. "This is a good woman," Vilsack said. "She's been put through hell. I could have done and should have done a better job. I'll learn from that experience. I want this agency and department to learn from this experience, and I want us to be stronger for it."
(Michael Reynolds / EPA)
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B.J. Parker of Lake Forrest, Calif., recites the National Anthem during the "Restoring Honor" event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Tea Party favorite and conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck hosted the event, which drew hundreds of thousands of people from around the country and filled the National Mall between the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial. "Something beyond imagination is happening," Beck said. "America today begins to turn back to God." The conservative, populist group grew to national attention during the 2010 midterms, when several candidates backed by the movement proved successful in primary contests and the general election.
(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama walk across the street in the Columbia Parc Development in New Orleans, Aug. 29, 2010, on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
(Carolyn Kaster / AP)
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The redecorated Oval Office of President Barack Obama is shown on Aug. 31, 2010. The updated look includes reupholstered furniture, new paint and modern wallpaper. The schme tends toward neutral hues of brown and taupe, rather than the gold and yellow tones favored by his predecessor, George W. Bush. In the center is a cream-colored carpet featuring the presidential seal in the center and ringed on its edge with five quotations selected by Obama. The costs were covered by the White House Historical Association, a non-profit group.
(Jonathan Ernst / Reuters)
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President Barack Obama addresses the nation from the Oval Office at the White House on Aug. 31, 2010. "Operation Iraqi Freedom is over," the president said. "The Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country. This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office." The address comes seven-and-a-half years after President George W. Bush launched a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
(Brendan Smialowski / Pool / Pool via EPA)
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President Barack Obama arrives with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to make a statement on Middle East peace in the East Room of the White House on Sept. 1, 2010.
(Jason Reed / Reuters)
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President Barack Obama arrives for a news conference in the East Room of the White House on Sept. 10, 2010 in Washington, D.C. With the threat of the Democrats losing control of Congress in the midterm election, Obama answered questions on a range of topics including the performance of the U.S. economy. "Now, if you're asking why haven't I been able to create a greater spirit of cooperation in Washington, I think that's fair. I'm as frustrated as anybody by it," said the president.
(Alex Wong / Getty Images)
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People gather at the Capitol for a "Remember in November" rally to express opposition to government spending, particularly bailouts and economic policies backed by President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress, in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 12, 2010.
(J. Scott Applewhite / AP)
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President Barack Obama speaks during the Millennium Development Goals Summit at United Nations headquarters in New York City on Sept. 22, 2010. The summit was held for world leaders to review the ambitious anti-poverty targets adopted in 2000 and accelerate things already being done around the world.
(Michael Reynolds / EPA)
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President Barack Obama greets the crowd, including a couple of protesters after speaking at the House-Senate Victory Fund 2010 fundraiser in New York City on Sept. 22, 2010. Obama urged the AIDS activists to aim their protests at Republicans, who he warned would cut AIDS funding if they prevailed in the midterm elections. "The people who would take over if we don't win this election, I promise you they'll cut AIDS funding," he said.
(Susan Walsh / AP)
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President Barack Obama walks off stage with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Oct. 11, 2010, following his statement on infrastructure investment. "It should not take another collapsing bridge or failing levee to shock us into action. So we're already paying for our failure to act,” the president said. "We can no longer afford to sit still. What we need is a smart system of infrastructure equal to the needs of the 21st century." The president pushed for a $50 billion six-year proposal to modernize the country's roads, railways and runways.
(Jason Reed / Reuters)
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President Barack Obama greets moderator Sway Calloway while participating in a town Hall on Viacom's BET, CMT and MTV networks on Oct. 14, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Obama appeared before approximately 250 young people representing a broad cross-section of backgrounds and answered questions from the studio audience as well as from viewers submitting questions via Twitter.
(Win McNamee / Getty Images)
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A T-shirt against Republican John Boehner is held by a rally-goer at a campaign event for Ohio Governor Ted Strickland in Columbus on Oct. 17, 2010. The president attended the event in a last-minute push for the Democrat ahead of November's midterm elections.
(Jason Reed / Reuters)
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President Barack Obama speaks from Erik and Cynnie Foss' backyard in Seattle, Wash., Oct. 21, 2010. The president met with the Foss family at their home before hosting a discussion on women and the economy with families and women small business owners from the area. It was one of several backyard chats he hosted in the lead-up to the midterm elections.
(Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama chats with Daily Show host Jon Stewart during a commercial break on Oct. 27, 2010 in Washington, D.C. During the show, Obama spoke about health care and the economy while defending his administration's record. It marked the first time a sitting president accepted an invitation to appear on the program.
The Comedy Central show taped in the nation's capital ahead of its planned "Rally to Restore Sanity." Stewart poked fun at Democrats' facing tough re-election bids saying, "Democrats are now running on, 'Please, baby, one more chance.'"
(Roger L. Wollenberg / Pool via Getty Images)
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Pennsylvania Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa., makes remarks as Former President Bill Clinton looks on during a campaign rally at Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pa., Oct. 28, 2010. In May, the White House acknowledged it had enlisted Clinton to try to ease Sestak out of Pennsylvania's Senate primary with a job offer. Sestak stayed in the race and eventually defeated Arlen Specter to become the Democratic nominee, ending Specter's 30-year Senate tenure. Sestak lost in the general election.
(Matt Rourke / AP)
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President Barack Obama speaks about the terror plot originating in Yemen against Jewish locations in Chicago during a statement in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on Oct. 29, 2010.
(Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images)
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Left to right, Vice President Joe Biden, Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Lee Fisher, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and President Barack Obama appear together during a campaign rally at Cleveland State University on Oct. 31, 2010. It follows an Obama trip to the Buckeye state the previous weekend, when the president led a rally in Columbus. The president, vice president and First Lady Michelle Obama have made several trips there in an attempt to stem strong Republican midterm challenges.
(David Maxwell / EPA)
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President Barack Obama holds a post-election news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 3, 2010. He called the election a Democratic "shellacking" and lamented that "we lost track of the ways we connected with the folks who got us here in the first place." Obama said Tuesday's results confirmed what he's heard from voters across the country: People are frustrated. He said the lesson of the election was that he hasn't made enough progress in creating jobs.
(Kevin Lamarque / Reuters)
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President Barack Obama, right, and First Lady Michelle Obama are led on a tour by Grand Imam Ali Mustafa Yaqub at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia on Nov. 10, 2010.
(Adek Berry / Pool via AP)
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President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Honor to Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta on Nov. 16, 2010 at the White House in Washington, D.C. The 25-year-old soldier from Iowa, who exposed himself to enemy gunfire to try to save two fellow soldiers, became the first living service member from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to receive the Medal of Honor. The seven previous medals were awarded posthumously.
(J. Scott Applewhite / AP)
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President Barack Obama speaks during a meeting on the New START treaty as former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Vice Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. James Cartwright and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright look on in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Nov. 18, 2010 in Washington, D.C. On Dec. 22, the Senate ratified the strategic nuclear arms treaty. Under the treaty, Russia and the United States agree to limit the number of nuclear warheads to 1,550 each, down from the ceiling of 2,200.
(Dennis Brack / Pool via Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama and Portugal's President Anibal Cavaco Silva (partially hidden) are sheltered by umbrellas during an arrival ceremony at the Presidential Palace before the start of the NATO summit in Lisbon on Nov. 19, 2010.
(Jose Manuel Ribeiro / Reuters)
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President Barack Obama, second from right, and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, second from left, take part in a bilateral meeting during the NATO Summit in Lisbon, Portugal on Nov. 20, 2010.
(Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP)
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President Barack Obama delivers a statement to the press following his meeting with bipartisan congressional leadership in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on Nov. 30, 2010. Note the stitches on his lower lip ... just days earlier, during a pickup basketball game, Obama was accidentally elbowed by one of his fellow players. Obama received 12 stitches under local anesthesia in the doctor's office on the ground floor of the White House after he returned home from the game at Fort McNair, a military base where he often plays.
(Olivier Douliery / Pool via EPA)
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A Code Pink protester holds a sign asking for the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy during the Senate Arms Services Committee hearing on the Pentagon's report's findings on the policy on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 2, 2010. On Dec. 22, Obama signed the legislation that will bring an end of the ban on openly gay men and women serving in the armed forces.
(Kevin Lamarque / Reuters)
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President Barack Obama turns to leave the podium as former President Bill Clinton speaks to the press in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Dec. 10, 2010. The two presidents discussed Democratic infighting over a tax cut extension plan. "I'm going to let him speak very briefly," Obama said. "And then I've actually got to go over and do just one more Christmas party. So he may decide he wants to take some questions, but I want to make sure that you guys hear it from him directly." Obama left the press room right after the 11 minute mark; the news conference lasted 32:09.
(Jim Young / Reuters)
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President Barack Obama shakes hands with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell after signing into law the $858 billion tax-cut bill, as members of Congress and members of his administration look on, at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on Dec. 17, 2010. The law will prevent taxes from increasing for all income brackets and maintain Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans for two years.
(Michael Reynolds / EPA)
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Students listen as President Barack Obama speaks after reading the book "Twas the Night Before Christmas," at Long Branch Elementary School in Arlington, Va., Dec. 17, 2010. Obama also read his own children's book, "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters," in a surprise visit to the suburban Washington elementary school.
(Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images)
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House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio wipes a tear as he waits to receive the gavel from outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, during the first session of the 112th Congress. In a roll-call vote shortly before, 241 House members cast their votes for Boehner, cementing the Ohio Republican's election as speaker of the House. "No longer can we fall short. No longer can we kick the can down the road," Boehner said. "The people voted to end business as usual, and today we begin to carry out their instructions."
(Charles Dharapak / AP)
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President Barack Obama hugs NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, as he arrives at a memorial service honoring the Tucson shooting victims at McKale Memorial Center on the University of Arizona campus on Jan. 12, 2010. During his speech, the president revealed that Giffords, who was shot point-blank in the head, had opened her eyes for the first time shortly after his hospital visit. "She knows we are here, she knows we love her, and she knows that we are rooting for her through what is undoubtedly going to be a difficult journey," Obama said.
(Kevork Djansezian / Pool via EPA)
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Chinese President Hu Jintao and President Obama greet guests during an official south lawn arrival ceremony for Hu at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 19, 2011. The Chinese president attended a joint news conference and a state dinner before heading to Chicago for the second leg of his diplomatic trip.
(Jason Reed / Reuters)
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Editor's note:
This image contains graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing.